Take a photo of a barcode or cover
74 reviews for:
What Should I Do with My Life?: The True Story of People Who Answered the Ultimate Question
Po Bronson
3.46 AVERAGE
74 reviews for:
What Should I Do with My Life?: The True Story of People Who Answered the Ultimate Question
Po Bronson
3.46 AVERAGE
This wasn't really a self-help book as much as it was a journalistic approach to people's stories regarding their searching and yearning to find themselves. I loved it. I loved the author's empathy and kindness and research.
Written in a series of short stories, this book details the lives of people of different backgrounds and passions as they wrestle with this question. Some of the stories end with the people finding a peace in their life's choices while other stories are left open-ended. It is inspiring, but more in the realization that life is messy and sometimes it can take a while to realize where you want to go, instead of a step by step way of how to figure out your life.
Some of the stories were very dry and hard to get through, despite only being a few pages long. There were stories I could relate to, and others I couldn't understand very well. Still, I learned through these stories that once you identify your values and what drives you, you will be able to see your own big picture so much clearer. Even if those values and drives aren't what are deemed acceptable in societal circles.
I like the fact that the people in this book don't have it all figured out, that they make big mistakes that they don't bounce back from and that some of them achieve their contentment much later in life. I've always felt like I didn't have that one thing in my life that drives me, and that made me abnormal and weird. But this book celebrates the not knowing. You can have no idea what you want to be or do, but the most important thing is to keep trying to figure it out. Keep trying. Keep failing. Keep figuring.
I would definitely recommend this book, but with the caveat that it is very dense with information. Some of the stories and people are entertaining and relatable. Some are dry and unfortunate. Still, there are some amazing excerpts and quotes that have inspired me, and this will be one book I add to my collection.
Some of the stories were very dry and hard to get through, despite only being a few pages long. There were stories I could relate to, and others I couldn't understand very well. Still, I learned through these stories that once you identify your values and what drives you, you will be able to see your own big picture so much clearer. Even if those values and drives aren't what are deemed acceptable in societal circles.
I like the fact that the people in this book don't have it all figured out, that they make big mistakes that they don't bounce back from and that some of them achieve their contentment much later in life. I've always felt like I didn't have that one thing in my life that drives me, and that made me abnormal and weird. But this book celebrates the not knowing. You can have no idea what you want to be or do, but the most important thing is to keep trying to figure it out. Keep trying. Keep failing. Keep figuring.
I would definitely recommend this book, but with the caveat that it is very dense with information. Some of the stories and people are entertaining and relatable. Some are dry and unfortunate. Still, there are some amazing excerpts and quotes that have inspired me, and this will be one book I add to my collection.
inspiring
fast-paced
Such a unique read, felt like a podcast. The stories are wholesome and the writing style is interesting.
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Even though this isn't a how-to manual for how to find fulfilling work, it is a very readable collection of stories about the sometimes roundabout ways that people find the career that works for them. It's a very encouraging read for when you're trying to figure out how to do something meaningful with your life, and helps you realize just how many different ways you can meet that criteria. It's been a few years since I read it, but I love this book so much and recommend it all the time to people who are having a career crisis.
Not helpful and kind of sexist.
Anecdotal stories about how other people got their shit together, and all of the people profiled are wealthy and/or come from Ivy League backgrounds. Imagine that!
I also don't appreciate anyone (especially a man) critiquing my childfree lifestyle, even from within the pages of a book.
Fuck you, book.
Anecdotal stories about how other people got their shit together, and all of the people profiled are wealthy and/or come from Ivy League backgrounds. Imagine that!
I also don't appreciate anyone (especially a man) critiquing my childfree lifestyle, even from within the pages of a book.
Fuck you, book.
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
I picked this book up during a self-help phase in my life as a remainder (I always find myself perusing the remainder shelves at the chain bookstores, it's an easy way to get good hardcover books cheap). I thought it looked interesting, but I never thought I would have the reaction to it that I did. It was refreshing to read a book by someone who spent time, actual time, just listening to people. Granted, he had an idea of what he was listening for and planned to profit from their stories, but that does not lessen the quality of the stories themselves or the quality of the method used to elicit them. I myself have been the recipient of many a life-story (in most cases I wasn't asking for it, though) and I see in Bronson a kindred spirit, another listener.
I found this book to be incredibly helpful is discerning the right path for me. He doesn't preach, or give you a step-by-step plan to follow, but he gives you several different ideas about how to approach the "big question," and shares stories of fascinating people.